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Since age four, Meghann Root (10) has been singing in front of large audiences, thanks to her father's role as Music Director at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. She started choir in elementary school and plans to continue throughout high school and college. So far she has auditioned for Western Slope and Adams State, but has only attended Western Slope. She loves honor choir because she gets to participate in parades and because of the bonds she makes with her fellow classmates. "The honor choirs bring us together. I made friendships I never thought I would make, I'm still talking to some of the people I met [at Western Slope] last year," she said.

Editor’s Note: Today, October 16, 2014, the choir students mentioned in this article will leave Manitou at 3:30 PM to audition for All State Honor Choir at Doherty High School. 

Today, October 16, 2014, Manitou Springs High School’s honor choir is traveling to Doherty High School in Colorado Springs to try out for All State Honor Choir. They will try out along with hundreds of other contestants from high schools across Colorado.

The honor choir students are not only dedicated singers, but also, as they say, a family. When observing their class it is immediately apparent that they are comfortable with each other, and keep each other on track.

“We’re all so crazy and closely knit. There’s just so much energy, and I love that,” says senior Hunter Adcock, one of the vocalists auditioning for All State.

To these singers, knowing each other well is important so that they know the diversity in each other’s voices and musical styles and can work together efficiently. Not only does it help to know their voices, the girls say that being friends with their teammates and knowing each others’ personalities makes it easier to get everyone on track and working. The choir students are linked through their song, and spending days away for honor choir competitions helps them tremendously with bonding.

Choir teacher Ray Killian also notices the family variable within his students. He believes that preparing for auditions is a group effort, and that the students spending time together going over the material and requirements helps get them closer to each other.

Other honor choir events include Western Slope in Gunnison, Colorado and CSU-Pueblo’s choral festival. The choir will ride a bus to each one and stay in a hotel as well as attend rehearsals conducted by experienced choir directors.

Participants in today’s All State Honor Choir Auditions are:

• Hunter Adcock
• Spencer Aurand
• Devon Arabia
• Severn Belmond
• Rachel Bradshaw
• Devann Burt
• Hayley Hamblin
• Maddie Robinson
• Katelin Root
• Carter Sandras
• Ellorah Simmons
• Sierra Strickland
• Ayla Wilson
• Milyausha Yusupova

*Editor’s Note: Since the original publication of this article yesterday, October 16, 2014, two errors were found in the story that have since been corrected. The original article stated incorrectly that the choir would be traveling to Denver rather than Doherty High School, and Devon Arabia was not named in the list of those who were auditioning at the end of the article.